The first major choice in the Dungeon of Delta was not to be good or bad, to kill or to play along, or to even decide to see if the rumours were really true about the oddness of this place.The first major choice all people ended up facing, providing they got past the Spider room, was simple in idea, but devastating in outcome.The choice was left or right.“Mushroom forest or singing nightmare?” Grim weighed up their options.“How about the pond? We can plan,” Amenster offered, to which Deo rushed on with a fishing pole he extended from a tiny handle.“I SHALL FEED US WHILE YOU PLAN! BRAINS NEED SMART FISH FOOD!” He said, basically deciding for the group.

It wasn’t like anyone could say no now that he was looking away.“Is… the duck inside?” Grim grimaced.

Kemy frowned.“Mr.

Duck? He’s very nice, but I don’t think he’s home,” Kemy said sadly.

Poppy looked around.“Looks a bit different than last time I was here…” she mused, pulling her hood tight.

The talking book was still making small sobbing noises.“Spider guts! Spider guts all over the famous incantation for the Moonlight Stag summon spell… at this rate, one is more likely to summon a moonlighting stag do party!” he whimpered.“It’ll come out once we leave the Dungeon… Poppy, where did you get a talking book? Is it… magical?” Grim asked, voice interested.

Poppy gave him a withering glare.“You aren’t allowed to hold Tom.

I remember you eating my Manty the Manticore picture book… nyeh, Poppy never forgets…” she said.“We were five! Besides… I thought it was going to let me turn into a manticore,” Grim said with a sigh.“Eat me and I will use your blood to form a new spell called ‘Banish Blithering Buffoon under the light of the red moon’.

You know it’s deadly if it rhymes,” Tom the book warned darkly.“How about we sit and plan? Deo is already working,” Amenster offered.

Vas hummed and he went to sit next to Deo to watch him at work as a flash of silver rippled near the surface of the pond.

A large golden fish taunted Deo from the far side as it breached the surface.Deo gave a yank and a large rock flew out of the pond, landing behind him.

Deo just cast his line again cheerfully.“I’LL GET YOU!” He laughed at the teasing fish who seemed to be as excited as Deo at the prospect of fishing.Kemy waited until Grim pulled out his map.“Very good detail, you have a hand for cartography,” she said, impressed at the detail and notes made by Grim.

The boy just blinked, looking confused.“It’s just a basic map with ideas and potential areas for change.

Most maps are good for Dungeons but Delta’s Dungeon changes in ways I’m not sure anyone can predict.

The spiders have… five to eight gimmicks alone.

For a first room, that’s insane,” Grim shrugged.“You haven’t met most Dungeon Map makers.

Fairplay enchant their maps to auto feed information back to their ‘key map,’ and so if people discover new areas, it’s freely, forcefully, given to the company.

By the time people have enough confidence to make their own, any lucky hidden room found by greenhorns is taken away.

Unofficial Makers sell portions or single floor maps that have expiry seals.

Some are downright basic unless you pay a premium for a map that shows traps and secret passages.

This is all even if the makers put enough effort in for more than squiggles.

If people come here, don’t be afraid to market your skills.

Even I can see that your drawings are really good and these notes are very easy to understand,” Kemy smiled.

Grim still looked baffled.“Why would I force people to pay to look at my maps? Sure, for Delta it’s fine but any other dungeon is dangerous.

I could be sending people to die because I tried to make a few coins by haggling on showing them where the traps are.

Dungeons are stupidly dangerous!” Grim protested, outraged.

He huffed once.“It’s… not what adventuring is about.

It’s about rare items and glory.

I can’t do that if my maps are soaked in blood,” he said with a mutter.He shot Deo a look, the boy still having his back turned to them.“That’s not what we promised and I don’t betray promises.

Now, do we want to try the secret passage, facing the demon mouse, or do you want to go into the Forest via the Mudroom?” He said, his tone making sure the subject was changed.There was a pause before they all began to plot.---In the dark tunnel, a golden fish was having the time of its life as it gently lured the human boy’s hook down the space.The hook was so blunt and capped with a weird spongy thing that it would never catch anything! The fish wasn’t sure if the boy knew how to fish… really, it was a bit cute.

It gently let the hook be pulled through the tunnel.

It breached the surface not far away and had to flop a little to get the hook into place.

Being a Dungeon creature, breathing was possible in both land and water, but it was cheating so it mentally counted to 30 before it would ‘play dead’.Still, it was enough time to get the hook into place and tug slightly.

The line began to reel in and the fish followed with glee.---“So it’s settled! We’ll try to challenge the secret boss,” Grim announced.

Deo was grunting as he yanked hard on the fishing rod, something was resisting even with his enhanced strength.

With a mighty explosion of the water, a giant purple clam soared out out of the Pond and landed some distance away.“That… wasn’t in the lake,” Vas stood up curiously.

Deo puffed and panted but cheered.“I CLAM THE TREASURE!” He hooted.

Kemy gave a small giggle at the joke.

The clam slowly opened itself to reveal…Grim made a small noise.“Is that loot?” Amenster blinked.

Piles of coins, small gems, hardened amber, some fancy looking piles of water crystals, and some hunks of metal, and a string of pearls glimmered at them.“I’m as happy as a clam,” Grim sniffed and ran over.

Kemy raised her hand, but Amenster put it down for her.“Sometimes, you have to let nature take its course,” he soothed, one of his eyes pulsing a sickly green for a moment as he shook his head at the clam.“I feel kinship with this thing.

It holds value inside, its outside is a deceptively normal thing.

It has become a chest of the sea… I feel pride in my fellow container,” Vas bowed in respect.“GRIM CAN HAVE IT.

I’LL GET THE FISH! GRIM DIDN’T HAVE ANYTHING TO EAT BEFORE COMING DOWN SINCE HE WAS SO EXCITED!” Deo smiled and turned away.

Grim was lifting coins with a hard look, smiling at the crystals.

He saw a big ruby at the back and he leaned in to pick it up.Then the clam snapped down, eating Grim as the boy’s legs began to kick wildly in panic in the air.His voice went so high pitched that Poppy snorted.“I dare say I know a clam opening spell, but usually it’s reserved for fancy parties and oysters.

I doubt it will work since this clam seems to have swallowed a pest,” Tom said dryly.

Kemy stood up with a chiding look.“We must rescue our teammates immediately, not just when we feel like it,” she reminded them and went over to the clam, unsure of what to do for a moment.“Mr.

Clam? May I have him back?” She asked.

The giant shell shook, making Grim saying something better left muffled.

Kemy thought about it before she saw there were two googly fake eyes on top which rattled comedically.“Is he worth… this?” She tried, holding out a coin.

The clam shook again.

Kemy doubled her offer.The clam visibly began to vibrate but still shook in disagreement.Kemy went for the kill and pulled out… a third coin.

The Clam spat Grim out like a nasty snack and a long tongue extended out in eager motions, like a weird… dog sort of.

Kemy paid the price for Grim, which she thought was rather cheap.

The clam swallowed the coins, the tongue rolling back like a carpet, and shook as if mixing them in with its treasures.

After a moment, a slip appeared between the two pressed shells.

Kemy pulled it in confusion and read it.“Fortress Pass for one?” She read.

Grim was staring at the ceiling, looking covered in a thin layer of clam slime.

He also held a pass.“One free drink at Fera’s bar?” He croaked.“What a treasure!” Amenster said to Poppy who hid a smile.There were splashes and Deo gave a cry as all the fish in the pond, besides the gold and silver fish, somehow got ‘tangled’ on his line at once.“I DID IT!” He said to Grim.“Why is it always me?” Grim asked no one.“I am to tell you, young man, that the clam’s slime has high use in alchemy.

Also, the pass is for any one drink, not just a common drink.

You may think on its value later,” Mushy helped Grim to his feet.“Any recommendations?” Grim asked with a raised eyebrow.“Try the ‘Delta Surprise Shot’.

I heard the results can be hairy but interesting,” Mushy smiled kindly by twitching his moustache.“What are these passes for? My team never made it past the Grove place,” Kemy asked.“To get rest and a drink, one must first pass goblins.

Even playing lightly, goblins do not play nice,” Mushy warned then pointed to her pass.“These are passes which show you accept the goblins’ mercy and they shall let you pass,” he added.“How bad can a goblin room be?” Poppy mused.

Grim turned to her, face serious.“Deadly… there’s three and one… Billy,” Grim said with a fierce expression.“New enemy?” Poppy asked, almost expecting the answer.“No… not exactly.

He’s this goblin who uses tools and special arrows.

He was good; I wanna see if I can take him on one day when I get my own gear going,” Grim mused.“Billy has… how would one say? Gotten a makeover? You might find him to be a challenge, more so than normal,” Mushy warned before he covered his face.“Ah… I shouldn’t have said that.

I’m letting things slip,” he grumbled.

He then winked at Grim.“I have a feeling he is looking forward to your return as well,” he said to the serious faced young man.“Poppy, Amenster? You take Cois.

Deo and Vas can take Numb… me and Kemy will get Billy,” Grim looked around, seeing if there were any objections.“I have a pass,” Kemy reminded.“Besides, have you gotten the memo? There’s like 3 different ways to do everything in this place that don’t involve fighting.

You gotta adapt.” Amenster said as Deo handed him a cooked fish from the campfire he had started.“GRIM! I BET YOU CAN OUTSMART THE GOBLINS AND THEY WON’T EVEN KNOW IT! YOU’RE THE SMARTEST GUY AROUND,” Deo said with no hint of doubt.

Grim stared at him before he swallowed audibly and looked away sharply.“Yet I keep messing up… so it’s not worth much,” he said, frustrated, and Deo actually frowned.

The redhead walked over and gently turned Grim’s head so he was looking at him.“NO HIDING YOUR WORDS.

YOU SAID YOU’D NEVER HIDE THEM.

YOU’VE BEEN FURTHER THAN ANYONE HERE… I…” he cleared his throat and everyone went still as Deo spoke as softly as he could.“I believe in you.

You never looked down on me or thought I was… stupid.

That’s why you’ll get us through… even when the other kids were scared of me.

You weren’t because you said my strength was like a hero… SO THAT MAKES YOU A HERO TO SEE HEROES! I HAVE NO FEAR!” Deo grinned and Grim blinked once very slowly.“You almost went ten seconds without yelling.

I guess if you can do that then I can get us through this Dungeon,” Grim snorted, and gently pushed Deo’s hands off his shoulder.“Stop touching me, you got fish slime on your hands and I’m already clammy,” He huffed, and eyed the fish.“Bah, dumb fish,” he grumbled.---The Mudroom honestly hadn’t changed too much besides the fact the platforms had seemed to have shifted position, making what Grim knew to be the correct path from before look wrong.He simply went back, got a few rocks from Pondroom and threw them to see which shook and which didn’t.

He went first to make sure nothing was going to appear.As he touched the first one and waited to observe the room, slow moving poles emerged from the wall from both sides of the Mudroom, blunt poles intent on pushing Grim off the platform.

He jumped to the next and the poles froze for a few seconds before continuing.Grim touched the other side and the poles sank back into the wall.Honestly, it was the least dangerous thing in Delta’s Dungeon so far.

Grim had a feeling it wouldn’t stay that way for much longer.

When his group joined him (after having to stop Vas from diving into the mud in curiosity) they waited at their new challenge.“The Mushroom Forest…” Kemy whispered and her voice was tinged with something odd.

Grim gave her a look and she spotted it.

Kemy smiled weakly.“It’s… fine.

Last time, we messed up here and caused more damage than was acceptable,” she bowed her head.

Grim wanted to ask for details, but he held his tongue.“Why are you holding your tongue?” Poppy asked, sounding like the answer wasn’t something she actually wanted to know.Grim blinked as his own fingers were holding his orange tongue.

He released it slowly.“A bad… joke,” he said between gritted teeth.Deo and Grim took the lead, but before they got too far, a pop-up window appeared.

Grim watched it appear and wondered how useful something like that would be for himself.

Something to tell him how skilled he was or his vital strengths?It would be like a life secretary on magic steroids.

Hello Ducklings.